The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-04
A MUGwUMP'S HONESTY.
Arthur Richmond Adds a Postscript to His
Letter to James Russell Lowell.

Arthur Richmond Adds Postscript to His
Letter to James Russell Lowell.
July North American Review.
Your partisans noticeably do not share the
extreme senSibility of him who fell beneath the
tower of Thebez. Instead of displaying his virile
antpa.hy to being woman's trophy, they seem
to think that if they can but persuade men to
say of one, "A woman slew him" he need not be
very dead after all
1 shall perhaps be considered as lending myself
to these humane efforts by adding what may be
reckoned a postscript to my previous letter; but
a postscript which you were good enough to
furnish and which it would be presumptuous in
me to suppress AS if anxious to prove my con-
illusions not too severe. even before my letter
had left the printers hands, you gave ample
and SO luminous justification OF its structures
that should be a mere spendthrift of demon
stratlon not to present it the latest, most
characteristic and most impressive OF your polit-
ical achievements.
The Union League Club. of Chicago, design.
ing to inaugurate a revival of patriotism, and
stimulate true and distinctive Americauism,
determined to emphasize the birthday of Wash
ington. To this end they resolved to establish
series of lectures to be delivered on the 22d of
February Of each year 1t was assumed that
occasion specifically marked, and carefully
prepared for, would be honored by an address,
written with the mo tive of the club or the CEN
trail idea of the new movement in mind-I
almost giving the very language of the club it
self 1t was a noble purpose. and the mode of
effecting it nobly planned. The whole
movement started on the highest level Socially,
morally, periodically, it is fraugnt with promise
10 our country.
The club paid You the high honor Of inviting
you. as long ago as last October, to deliver the
opening lecture of this series. You accepted,
and named your subject "Our Politics" You
were invited 20 make your own terms, and you
reported to have made them $500. Your
theme anc your terms were instantly agreed to-
The programmes were prepared, the audience
assembled and then, instead of delivering
the speech which had been promised ana paid
for you cooly substituted an altogether differ
and inapposite dissertation, which no one
had demanded, and which no one wanted do
not place this level of obligation honor.
On the ordinary plane of financial business, of
mercantile traffic, l ask, is this fair dealing?
Certainly it is not considered fair dealing at the
corner grocery. whose introduction into politics
you deplore. If the corner grocer should con-
duct his business in that way it would not be
long before he would find himself lodged in the
county Jail
And you had hardly found your tongue before
you began to talk of your conscience" which,
you intmated, was so imperious that it would
not let you alone. and SO superior in delicacy to
that of your countrymen that its voice is like the
voice Of one crying in the wilderness. Beyond
doubt the club will agree that your voice cannot
be more appropriately engaged than in crying
crying loud and hard in a genuine and penitent
wall, till you ready to come out of the will
derness into Christian society and behave your
self like honest corner grocer, in or out of
politics.